The Rise of Civilizations

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1 Name: Period: Date: The Rise of Civilizations In their study of the past historians have identified four major types of communities humans have lived in. Hunter-gatherer communities Neolithic agricultural communities Nomadic herding communities Civilizations Archaeological evidence shows that around 3000 BCE (aka 5000 years ago) the earliest civilizations on Earth formed in Southern Mesopotamia The name of the oldest of these civilizations was Sumer & it lasted from about 3000 BCE to 2000 BCE Following Sumer, there is evidence of the formation of other civilizations nearby such as Akkad, Elam, and the Amorites What makes a human community a civilization? For a community to be considered a civilization it must meet the following characteristics 1 Large Population Center(s) 2 Written Language 3 Organized Governments 4 Division of Labor 5 Social Classes 6 Art and Architecture 7 Shared Values / Religion

2 Geography & Early Civilization EQ: How did geography affect the rise of early civilizations in Mesopotamia? Mesopotamia The region located between the Tigris & Euphrates Rivers is known as Mesopotamia (Greek for between two rivers ) Northern Mesopotamia is made of hills and plains. The region experiences heavy seasonal rains and regular flooding from rivers & streams that flow south from the mountains. Southern Mesopotamia is made of largely flat plains and marshes. The region also experienced regular flooding from rivers. Beyond the land directly next to the Tigris & Euphrates Rivers the land is largely dry & desert-like (especially in the South) Both of these regions were natural homes to a diverse amount of edible plants (such as wheat, barley, chickpeas, peas, and lentils) & easy-todomesticate animals (such as cows, goats, sheep, and pigs) Fertile Crescent Mesopotamia is a part of the Fertile Crescent a large arc of rich/fertile farmlands that stretches from Southern Mesopotamia to the Eastern Mediterranean shores Due to the climate and the rivers of the Fertile Crescent, plants and animal life tended to flourish in this region Seasonal floods from the rivers of the Fertile Crescent deposit a material known as silt (a mixture of fine rock and mineral particles) in the areas surrounding the rivers to create very fertile soil for plants to grow in

3 In the Neolithic Era, humans naturally settled into areas surrounding rivers where silt had been deposited and crops were abundant/easy to domesticate. Therefore the earliest agricultural communities in the world are found in the Fertile Crescent Settling in Mesopotamia BCE - Before Common Era (BC) CE - Common Era (AD) 10,000 BCE: First signs of agriculture in Mesopotamia 7,000 BCE: First farming settlements were formed in Mesopotamia 3,000 BCE: Earliest civilizations formed in Mesopotamia The earliest place in the Fertile Crescent that agricultural communities emerged was in Mesopotamia. This is largely because Mesopotamia had Large flat plains Constant year-round sunlight Flooding from both the Tigris & Euphrates that deposited silt While the farming was exceptional it was limited by several factors The area immediately outside the Tigris & Euphrates river valley was too hot and dry to support farming Seasonal floods would occasionally raise the water level of the rivers too high and it would destroy crops, drown livestock, and demolish homes Eventually by at least 3,300 BCE the settlers of Mesopotamia figured out how to address this issue & expand their farming communities

4 Irrigation: a way of supplying water via canals to an area of land to help agricultural growth 1. Dug out large storage basins to hold water supplies 2. Dug out canals (human-made waterways) that connected the basins to a series of ditches 3. Ditches brought water to the dry land Built up the banks of the Tigris & Euphrates Rivers to hold back floodwaters even when levels were high Results With water levels controlled & irrigation increasing the amount of food, farmers could Grow more food Sustain a larger population Create more green grazing areas for cattle & sheep Create a food surplus (more than they needed) Also made farmers more productive & fewer people were required to farm. Therefore, more people became freed to do other jobs such as Religious Leaders Government officials Builders Craftsmen Merchants Soldiers This type of arrangement in which each worker specializes in a particular task or job is called a division of labor

5 Cause & Effect 1. Early settlements in Mesopotamia were located near rivers. Water was not controlled, and flooding was a major problem. 2. Later, people built canals to protect their houses from flooding and move water to their fields 3. With irrigation, the people of Mesopotamia were able to grow more food 4. Food surpluses allowed some people to stop farming and concentrate on other jobs